


Lisa Tuppence: Ace Attorney

by rainingbluegold



Category: Original Work, 逆転裁判 | Gyakuten Saiban | Ace Attorney
Genre: Canon Compliant, Gen, Investigations, Original Character(s), POV Original Character, Post-Gyakuten Kenji 2 | Ace Attorney Investigations 2, Post-Gyakuten Saiban 3 | Trials & Tribulations, Pre-Gyakuten Saiban 4 | Apollo Justice, Seven Year Gap (Gyakuten Saiban), Trials
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-24
Updated: 2020-11-07
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:27:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,334
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27081907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rainingbluegold/pseuds/rainingbluegold
Summary: When 16-year-old wannabe detective Lisa Tuppence is thrown into the world of law after the assassination of her mother, she begins to uncover the horrific truth of the past. With everyone’s expectations high, and murderers on her tail, will Lisa crack under the pressure?
Comments: 4
Kudos: 7





	1. New Turnabout Rising: Trial Former

**Author's Note:**

> hi!! so i came up with this OC for the AA universe and i wanted to write her story so... here we are! i rly hope to keep this updated regularly, though since i'm in my final year of school it may take a while. i apologise in advance!
> 
> also heads up: this is set in 2022, during the 7-year-gap
> 
> i hope you enjoy!
> 
> also i changed the victim's name after publishing this, so if you see anywhere that says 'Norma', it's meant to say Dawn. pls let me know!

_**...I did it. She’s gone.** _

_**Not long now until he will be out of the picture, too.** _

_**Soon, we’ll have no more evidence pointing to what we did all those years ago.** _

_**We just need to get that girl out of the picture...** _

— — — — —

**May 17, 9:51 AM**

**District Court**

**Defendant Lobby No. 2**

_Well... here I am. Again._

_To be honest, I never thought I’d set foot in a courtroom in this position again. Not after **what happened a month ago...**_

The defendant lobby was fairly quiet; only the noise of the people murmuring as they filed into the courtroom opposite the large brown door guarded by two tall, stern-looking men, whose empty gazes made the blonde who had just walked in feel even less at ease than she’d been feeling all morning, if that were even possible. 

The girl tried to fiddle with something, anything, in an attempt to stop her hands from shaking. Whether that be the two strands of hair that stuck out on end and refused to co-operate with the rest of her hair, the magnifying glass hidden in her pocket, or the shiny gold attorney’s badge that wasn’t exactly proof of her profession, something had to work. She had to calm down, for the sake of her client. For the sake of her mother. For the sake of _the truth_.

Even now that her hands were occupied, her mind still raced with thoughts that drew her attention away from the present and back to the past.

_Ah, crap... What was I thinking?! I’m not even qualified for this! How could anyone put their trust in me to do this?! Ugh... I should’ve just gone to school... I’m sure that science test would’ve been much less nerve-wracking than this..._

“Are you going to stand there looking terrified all day?”

She snapped back to reality as she heard the familiar voice of her client behind her. She turned around to face him.

“D-Detective Tecate...! Um, hi...” she stuttered despite her efforts to keep her cool. She continued to fiddle with the magnifying glass in her pocket, hoping it wouldn’t be too noticeable to the detective whose job, and entire life, would most certainly be on the line if she made any mistakes in court today. 

Tecate let out a small chuckle. “Nervous, are we? Don’t fret, I’ll be with you every step of the way today.”

Ah yes, now she remembered. As well as her client, Tecate would be her co-counsel today. That put a little less pressure on her, knowing she wasn’t completely alone. Though having a man believed to be guilty by her side certainly wouldn’t look good for her reputation, something she needed to keep up. Especially now, when the entire world’s eyes were watching her.

“I-I know...” another stutter. 

_Come on, Lisa. Pull yourself together. At this rate, Mr Tecate will find another attorney..._

“I have to warn you though, Lisa,” his expression fell slightly, “You’re up against Winston Payne today.”

“Winston Payne...?” Lisa tested the name on her tongue to see if she recognised it. She didn’t. She tried to rack her brain for any trace of information about Prosecutor Payne, feeling annoyed at herself that she felt as if she _should_ know the name but she _didn’t_.

_Sigh... I’m really not cut out for this..._

A small, understanding smile broke out on Tecate’s lips. “Ah, of course. I didn’t expect you to know,” he reassured her. “Your mother hardly went up against him, after all.”  
Lisa nodded, waiting for an explanation that never came.

_...Well...? Are you gonna at least give me a hint as to what he’s like?_

“It’ll be better for you to see for yourself, rather than having me explain. Nevertheless, good luck,” was the only response she got.

 _Great..._ she groaned internally, _Just the advice I need from my idol..._

A few moments of silence fell; that kind of deafening silence that closes in around you, creating even more tension in the room.

“Miss Tuppence, the trial will begin in approximately five minutes. I’d advise you to make your way to the defense’s bench shortly,” Lisa heard the bailiff call out from the door.  
She nodded, straightening her green blazer out. “I’m coming,” she told them, taking one last glance at Tecate before staggering her trembling legs towards the courtroom, her client following close behind. 

_My name is Lisa Tuppence, and I’m a 16-year-old defense attorney...kind of._

_I am not qualified in the slightest to do what I’m about to do, but it’s the only option we have right now. My mother, previous owner of Tuppence Law Offices, died almost two months ago. I don’t want to get into detail right now, but long story short, I’m having to stand in her place until we can find someone to replace her._

_Today, I’m facing my second trial in court as the defense. I’m defending Detective Arthur Tecate, a friend of my mother’s. I’ve been working to become a detective for years now, and he’s given me a lot of great advice. He’s being charged for the murder of one of his co-workers, but I can’t bring myself to believe that he of all people would do such a thing. That’s why I’m standing here right now: to defend him and prove his innocence. I jumped at the chance when I heard about the incident, and I’m starting to regret getting carried away... but I know my mom would want this. She’d want Mr Tecate’s name cleared at all costs. So that’s what I’m going to do: search for clues until they all tie together to show the truth! At least, that’s what he always says to me..._

_The only evidence I have so far is the profile of the defendant: Arthur Tecate, aged 43, Homicide Detective. Hopefully I can pick some more up during the trial..._

_I’ve got this. This isn’t my first case, so I know what to expect. I just need to remember what mom would do in court, like I’ve watched countless times._

_I’m the daughter of Elizabeth Tuppence; I can do this!_

— — — — —

**May 17, 10:00 AM**

**District Court**

**Courtroom No. 2**

The bang of the judge’s gavel once again brought Lisa back into reality before she could get too lost in her nerves.

“Court is now in session for the trial of Arthur Tecate,” the judge announced, his voice booming and echoing around the large hall.

“The prosecution is ready, Your Honour,” came the nasally voice of the man in the bench opposite to Lisa, whom she assumed to be the prosecutor, Winston Payne. She had to hold in a chuckle regarding the situation with his hair. It seemed like a failed attempt at growing out a mullet, if there even was an attempt. It was certainly not how she expected a renowned prosecutor to look.

The judge cocked his head in her direction, causing Lisa to tense and straighten herself up. “O-oh, um- The defense is ready, Your Honour,” she stated, unsure whether she was really ready for this.

The judge’s eyes widened as soon as she spoke. “Miss Tuppence? I certainly didn’t expect to see you in this position again,” he explained.  
Lisa sighed; she’d expected to be told something like that. “To be honest, Your Honour, I didn’t either...” her eye-line fell down as she remembered the reason for being there in her mother’s absence. However she quickly shook it off, knowing she had a job to do. “B-but I have my reasons. I owe the defendant a great deal, plus we haven’t got anyone to replace my mother’s position just yet,” she explained herself.

“I can assure you that Miss Tuppence will do just fine, Your Honour,” Lisa heard the voice of Mr Tecate next to her. It was a little strange seeing the accused man on the defense’s bench with her, but she didn’t think much of it; this was the supposed ‘Dark Age of the Law’, after all.  
The judge nodded his head. “I do not doubt that after her previous victory.” That sentence made her feel slightly reassured, as if the law itself was on her side. “However, defendant, I must ask you one thing,” her relief was short-lived, as her muscles started to tense whilst she pondered what the judge was going to ask Tecate. Would he take him off the bench with her? Make him leave her all alone to do this without any help?

“Of course, Your Honour. What is it?” Tecate asked.

“Do not use the defense’s youth and inexperience to your advantage,” his statement made Lisa relax a little. She knew he wouldn’t do that, anyways. “I understand that the two of you have known each other prior to this case, but that doesn’t matter here. I will allow you to assist her in this trial, as I have done previously with other attorneys and defendants, but this is a court of law, and we must fine the truth at all costs.”  
Tecate nodded. “Understood, Your Honour. I would do nothing of the sort,” he flashed Lisa a brief smile, which she returned but in a slightly more nervous manner.

The judge then turned to the prosecutor opposite them. “I must ask a similar thing of you, Prosecutor Payne. While we seek the truth, please do not be as harsh and ruthless to Miss Tuppence as you are with other defense attorneys. She is only sixteen, after all.”

Lisa could only hope Payne would have a similar reaction to Tecate.  
Payne smirked, tapping his forehead. “Of course, Your Honour. While I am the ‘rookie killer’ and am sure of her inevitable defeat, I will go slightly easy just this once.”

_Well, that’s one way to give a backhanded compliment..._

“I don’t believe for one second that he’ll keep that promise...” Tecate muttered, causing Lisa to sigh.

_Great... a smug, over-confident prosecutor who already hates me. Can this trial get any worse?_

“Now then,” the judge began, bringing Lisa’s full attention to the reason she was here: to defend Mr Tecate. “If there are no further interruptions, I will proceed with the trial. Prosecutor Payne, your opening statement, if you please,” he asked Payne, to which he nodded in response.

“Of course, Your Honour,” Payne took out a sheet of paper, which Lisa assumed to have notes regarding the case on them. 

“Pay attention, Lisa,” Tecate whispered to her. “I’m hoping you’ve already read over the files regarding the incident, but you don’t want to miss any extra information, or things you might have missed,” he said.

_Here we go... it’s really happening... now’s my chance to prove myself worthy of my mother’s badge!_

“The victim was Dawn Kendrik, a co-worker of the defendant at the Criminal Affairs Department,” Payne announced. “She was ruthlessly murdered at sunrise, estimated to be around 6:20 AM on May 15th from bleeding from a stab wound in the back. From the autopsy report, we can assume Ms Kendrik was stabbed with a pocket knife due to the size of the wound. Said knife was covered in the defendant’s fingerprints.”

“Do you happen to have the murder weapon with you, Prosecutor Payne?” the judge asked, to which Payne nodded in response.

“Indeed I do,” the prosecutor picked up a bag off of his bench, the pocket knife sealed inside. He held it up to show the gallery and judge.

“I see,” the judge nodded his head again. “The court accepts this as evidence.”

“How did they get their hands on that?! I always had it on me before they took my coat when I was arrested...” Lisa heard Tecate gasp in shock.

_Fingerprints?! This can’t be good... Plus, what Mr Tecate just said about always having the pocket knife on him is strange. I’d better jot this down in my notepad._

**Pocket Knife added to the Court Record.**

**Dawn’s Autopsy Report added to the Court Record.**

“The victim was on her way to work early, as she had just been given a promotion,” Payne continued. “In fact, it was the same promotion Mr Tecate said he had been working towards during his questioning after his arrest,” he eyed Tecate, causing the defendant to frown. Lisa clenched her fists, having to resist the urge to yell at Payne for speaking to her idol like that. Instead, she chose to ask for more information to rid her urge to speak.

“Prosecutor Payne, may I ask what the promotion was?” Lisa asked.

“She had been moved from District One to District Three, an international division. If she hadn’t tragically died, she’d certainly be getting paid a lot more. I can see why your co-counsel there would choose to take that money for himself,” Payne explained, smirking.

_Ugh, this guy’s surname really is fitting, huh? I cannot WAIT to prove him wrong._

**Dawn’s Promotion added to the Court Record.**

“Don’t let him get to you, Mr Tecate. I believe in your innocence,” Lisa tried to reassure her client, to which he shrugged.  
“I believe in my innocence too,” he said plainly, “which is why I know you’ll be able to prove it.”

_I’m glad at least SOMEONE in here believes in me..._

“Anyways,” Payne interrupted their conversation, clearly ready to move along, “if His Honour will allow it, I would like to continue by asking permission to call the detective assigned to this case to the stand,” he glanced at the judge.  
“Permission granted,” he replied.

“Very well, then,” the smugness on Payne’s face never left. “The prosecution calls Detective Isaac Habittle to the stand!”

— — — — — 

“Witness, please state your name and occupation for the record.”

A man of no less that 6’0 stood tall and proud on the witness stand. Lisa could only hope he wasn’t another snob like Payne had proven himself to be. The witness ran a white-gloved hand through his black hair before speaking. “The name’s Isaac Habittle, homicide detective working in division one of the criminal affairs department,” he introduced himself.  
“Detective Habittle, please describe the details of the murder to us,” the judge commanded, to which Habittle gave a nod.  
“Of course, Your Honour.”

Habittle took a piece of paper out from the brown satchel he was carrying, reading over it before holding it up for everyone to see. “Here I have a map of the scene of the crime: Witherford Park.”  
He pointed to the pathway across the middle of the map, which had a red ‘V’ in the centre. “This represents where the victim’s body was found when I arrived at the crime scene,” he explained, placing the map on the table in the centre of the courtroom before taking out another sheet of paper. “This is a photograph of the crime scene. As you can see, only the body and weapon seem relevant to what happened.”

Lisa winced slightly at the sight of the body. It reminded her all too much of past events, that she tried to block out at least while in the courtroom.

“Very well, Detective. If you would please retreat to the stand to give us your testimony,” the judge continued once Habittle had set the photograph on the table next to the map.

“Gladly, Your Honour. I will do just that,” Habittle replied, turning away and walking back to his place on the stand.

“Pay very close attention to this, kiddo. You never know what contradictions you could find,” Tecate instructed Lisa. She nodded in response.  
“Got it!”

— — — — —

**Witness Testimony**

**\-- The Scene of the Crime --**

Habittle cleared his throat, before beginning his testimony.

“I was walking to work that morning, when I came across Ms Kendrik’s body.  
I immediately notified the police, and before they arrived I did some investigating of the scene.  
There were no other people that seemed to be there at the time I found the body, and even if there were the path was covered by trees which would probably block out any view.  
I found a knife that was pierced into the victim’s back, and when we took it away to examine it we found fingerprints that matched Detective Tecate’s.  
If there is no other suitable evidence, then unfortunately the only conclusion we can come up with is that Tecate did it, as much as I hate to admit it.”

— — — — —

_Ugh...! I can’t see any contradictions in that! How am I gonna do this?!_

“Hmm... that does seem quite plausible,” the judge commented, before turning his head to look at the terrified ‘attorney’ at the defense’s bench. “Miss Tuppence, you may begin your cross-examination.”

“U-um... r-right, Your Honour! Yes! Uh...” Lisa was at loss for words. She thought for a moment that she might’ve had this case in the bag, but after a testimony like that? She had no clue where to begin.

_Think, Lisa. Think... what would mom do in this situation...?_

“It seems miss Two-Pence here is already backed into a corner,” Payne gave a small, smug chuckle. “I had at least a little hope for you, but it seems your inexperience is really showing here. If you want to back out, please do so soon and stop wasting our time.”

**"OBJECTION!"**

Lisa jumped slightly as Tecate raised his voice at Payne.

“How dare you speak to Miss Tuppence like that?! If she didn’t know what she was doing, she wouldn’t be standing here right now. She’s not going to just give up because of your petty insults!” he yelled, causing Payne’s smirk to fade slightly.

The judge banged his gavel twice. “Order! While I do agree, Mr Tecate, please try to avoid shouting in this courtroom. The prosecution will refrain from making rude remarks regarding the defense.”

_Sigh... thank God the judge seems to be somewhat on my side..._

Payne had no response to the judge’s command, instead opting to recline back nearer to the wall behind him and fold his arms.  
Tecate sighed. “Sorry for raising my voice like that, kiddo. I just can’t stand that guy,” he muttered to Lisa. “Anyways, remember that if you can’t find any contradictory evidence, you can always **press** the witness for more information,” he advised.  
Lisa nodded her head. “G-got it! I’ll do just that!”

Tecate’s lips curved into a reassuring smile. “Best of luck, Lisa.”

— — — — —

**Cross Examination**

**\-- The Scene of the Crime --**

“I was walking to work that morning, when I came across Ms Kendrik’s body.”

**”HOLD IT!"**

Lisa’s voice was not as warmed up as she would’ve liked it to be, but it was better than nothing.

“Do you know roughly what time it was when you came across the body?” she asked Habittle, trying her best to squeeze any information out of him.

“Hm... I’m not too sure,” the detective replied. “If I had to guess, I’d say it was around 6:30 AM,” he stated.

“That’s around ten minutes after the estimated time that the murder was committed...” Lisa tapped her cheek with her pointer finger, before looking back up at him. “Can you add that to your testimony, please?” she requested.  
Habittle shrugged. “I don’t see why not. Very well, then.”

“I was walking to work that morning, when at around 6:30 AM I came across Ms Kendrik’s body.  
I immediately notified the police, and before they arrived I did some investigating of the scene.”

**”HOLD IT!”**

“So you mean to say that no other detectives were with you when you found the body?” Lisa questioned, knowing it was almost aimless but she _had_ to find something somewhere.

“Yes, it was rather early when I was on my way, so I wasn’t surprised to not see anyone there,” Habittle replied in a very ‘matter-of-fact’ tone; Lisa had to resist the urge to roll her eyes.  
“Why were you going there so early, anyways?” she asked to distract herself from said urge.

“I was rather restless the night before for reasons I’m honestly not sure of, so I figured I could get some extra things done to kill the time,” he responded to her questioning. 

Unsatisfied with the result of that ‘press’, Lisa decided to continue on to the next part of the testimony in hopes that she’d find a contradiction soon.

“There were no other people that seemed to be there at the time I found the body, and even if there were the path was covered by trees which would probably block out any view.”

**”HOLD IT!”**

“You said that there were no other people near you, but there is one other possibility for potential witnesses: CCTV cameras. Did you happen to notice any on your way there?” Lisa asked him, trying to convince herself that she had him this time.

Unfortunately for the attorney, Habittle shook his head. “Not a sign of any, I’m afraid. If there were, we would’ve viewed the footage in here by now.”

_I can’t tell if this guy is full of himself, or just annoyed at me for whatever reason..._

“I found a knife that was pierced into the victim’s back, and when we took it away to examine it we found fingerprints that matched Detective Tecate’s.”

**”HOLD IT!”**

“Were there any other fingerprints on the knife? Anything at all that could lead to anyone else getting ahold of it?” Lisa questioned, getting desperate now as she tried to grab _some_ hold of the case to catch Detective Habittle out.

However, Habittle just shook his head. “No. If there was any, I would’ve pointed it out, like I said earlier.” A small laugh escaped his throat. “Is your hearing alright, Miss Lawyer? You keep repeating things I've already testified..." he asked, his voice full of concern though the smirk on his face showed no attempt to hide his second-hand embarrassment and comical pity for the teen.

"M-my hearing is perfectly fine!" Lisa anxiously assured the courtroom.

_At least, I think it is..._

"If there is no other suitable evidence, then unfortunately the only conclusion we can come up with is that Tecate did it, as much as I hate to admit it.”

**"HOLD IT!"**

"You were at the crime scene for the longest!" Lisa reminded everyone in the room. "Surely you must have some other evidence that can point us in another direction!"

Unfortunately for her, Habittle shook his head. "I have presented every single piece of evidence I have relevant to this case. You'll have to make deal with what you have, I'm afraid," he adjusted the white gloves on his hands.

_Something doesn't add up... I can't let it end here, though! ___

"Miss Tuppence, does that conclude your cross-examination?" the judge asked, holding his gavel at the ready.  
"H-hang on just a second, Your Honour!" Lisa raised her hand out to him in a slightly more dramatic tone than she was going for. "Detective, could you repeat your testimony one more time?"  
"Hm, may I ask why that would be necessary?" Habittle questioned, not seeming very comfortable with the repetitiveness of Lisa's way of cross-examining.  
"Um... well, you see, uh..." Lisa started to panic; she didn't have a proper explanation as to why. She _knew_ there was a contradiction lying in there somewhere, but how could she get that message across. 

__"Don't back down now, Lisa," Tecate became her voice of reason in the midst of her crisis. "You can tell by the way Mr Habittle fiddles with his gloves that he's hiding something. Once you can pinpoint that, you're good to go."_ _

__"Y-yeah... I know!" Lisa quickly nodded her head._ _

__"Detective, please respect the defense's wishes and repeat your statement one more time," the judge commanded before Lisa got a chance to speak up for herself. Instead, she just nodded and racked her brain, preparing to give any evidence to contradict Detective Habittle._ _

_Thanks, Mr Judge, but I’m pretty sure my age doesn’t hold me back from asking someone to repeat something..._

“I was walking to work that morning, when I came across Ms Kendrik’s body.  
I immediately notified the police, and before they arrived I did some investigating of the scene.  
There were no other people that seemed to be there at the time I found the body, and even if there were the path was covered by trees which would probably block out any view.  
I found a knife that was pierced into the victim’s back, and when we took it away to examine it we found fingerprints that matched Detective Tecate’s.”  


Just then, something clicked in Lisa’s mind. She thought back to what Tecate had said earlier: that he always carried his pocket knife with him. If that were true, how could the knife be pierced into Dawn’s back?!

_I’ve got you now, Detective!_

**“OBJECTION!”**

Lisa slammed her hands on the desk, a glint in her eyes. She did it. She finally found a contradiction. 

“Detective, can you really be so sure that the knife used to stab the victim belonged to the defendant?” she questioned, trying to sound less repetitive than the times where she was pressing him for more information.  
“Well,” Habittle began, “If the fingerprints on it belonged to Mr Tecate, then that seems to be the most logical conclusion we can come up with,” he stated, not catching on to Lisa’s protest. 

Lisa looked up at the judge. “Your Honour, while Detective Habittle wasn’t here when this statement was made, what Mr Tecate said earlier on in the trial when the pocket knife was presented is a contradiction!” she explained, her heart hammering not due to nerves, but rather the rush of adrenaline she felt after making that claim.  
“Oh? And what is this contradiction you speak of?” the judge asked, seemingly confused.

Lisa took out her notepad, where she had been making brief notes of any relevant information, and read over it. “If you think back to when Prosecutor Payne presented the murder weapon, you’ll remember that the defendant told us that he ‘always carried his pocket knife’ with him!” she exclaimed with a confident smile on her face. “If this is true, then surely **he would’ve had it on him at the time of the murder!”**

“What are you trying to say, defense?” the judge asked again.  
Lisa furrowed her brows as she tried to come up with a solution, before slamming her hands on the desk again. “Your honour, the defense requests that Mr Tecate’s belongings be searched!” she replied.

_When Mr Tecate was arrested, he would’ve been searched. If we can find his pocket knife with the belongings that were taken off of him, then I’ll have proof that he didn’t commit the crime!_

Detective Habittle and Prosecutor Payne’s eyes both widened. It looked almost as if Payne’s hair was sticking up on end, which only made Lisa’s discovery more satisfying. On the other hand, Habittle’s left hand clung onto the glove on his right, his teeth grinding against each other. Lisa could only watch, a wave of relief washing over her. 

“Well done, Lisa!” Tecate whispered to his attorney. “I have no doubt that they’ll find my knife in there.”

The judge nodded his head, lifting his gavel. “In that case, I believe it would be necessary to call a recess while Mr Tecate’s belongings are searched.” He turned to the bailiff who were stood at the far end of the courtroom. “Bailiff, please escort the defendant out so he can give the police a hand with their search.”

Tecate smiled at Lisa before leaving with the bailiff. 

“And with that, court is adjourned!” the judge announced.

Mutters from the gallery followed the finishing bang of the gavel, and Lisa could not feel more proud of herself.

She, hopefully, had a lead now. All she had to do was unravel the rest of the mysteries regarding this case, and find the true culprit.

One thing was for sure: Lisa didn’t like the way Habittle grasped his gloves.


	2. New Turnabout Rising: Trial Latter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warning: there will be 1 line of spoilers for AA5/Dual Destinies in the first scene

**May 17, 10:35 AM  
District Court  
Defendant Lobby No. 2**

Lisa sat alone in the lobby, her nerves coming crashing down after the situation hit her: now that she hopefully had evidence pointing away from Tecate, she’d have to take the reigns in finding the truth. She started to fiddle with the gold attorney’s badge pinned to the blazer of her school uniform (the uniform was the smartest outfit she had, and she didn’t want to look scruffy in a court of law), sighing as she looked back on how she’d got into this mess.

_Mom... this was your badge..._

The 'lawyer' recalled her younger years, where she idolised her mother's job. She'd spend hours looking at that badge, mesmerised by the way it shone when the light hit it in just the right place. 

Now that her mother was gone, and Lisa was wearing the badge in her place, it didn't seem to live up to its glory. Now that she had a closer look at it, she noticed the few scratches that covered it, and how some of the gold was chipping away. She wondered if it had started to deteriorate like this when the original owner was killed, or maybe it just didn't look good on someone who hadn't earned it.

This really was the dark age of the law. First, the disbarment of legendary attorney Phoenix Wright, then the arrest of prosecutor Simon Blackquill, the assassination of Elizabeth Tuppence, and now a child was taking cases. It seemed almost unreal how corrupted the world of law had become.

_...I wish you were still here. Knowing you, you'd have already closed this case by now..._

Lisa turned her eyes to face the door that she'd come out of a few minutes ago. She thought she'd feel more at ease sitting on a chair in the lobby rather than standing on the defense's bench with everyone watching her, but clearly she was wrong. Her own thoughts terrified her more than what others were possibly thinking. 

The sound of footsteps behind startled her, and she turned her head to see who it was. Had Tecate already returned with or without the pocket knife? Was it Prosecutor Payne coming to ridicule her for tearing his ego away?

No.

The man walking towards her was the last person she expected to see.

"P-prosecutor Hardy?!"

There, stood before her, was Clyde Hardy. The first prosecutor Lisa had faced, and long-time enemy of her mother. His orange jacket and long, brown dreadlocks made him stand out from the neutral tones of the rest of the room.

_What is he doing here?! He's not even involved in this case!_

Hardy stared at Lisa for a few seconds, opening and closing his mouth a few times as if he wanted to say something but couldn’t find the right words.  
“Um... can I help you...?” she asked, trying to break the awkward silence.

“...I have to say, I’m impressed,” the prosecutor eventually stated. “Not many lawyers get court adjourned in less than an hour,” he continued, “let alone someone so... inexperienced.”

_Can I get a break from people discussing my position here? I KNOW I shouldn’t be doing this, I don’t need constant reminders..._

“Uh... thank you...?” Lisa responded, unsure whether to take that as a compliment or insult. 

Hardy shrugged, grabbing onto the strap of the brown bag he held on his shoulder. “I do have a word of advice, however. I strongly advise you take it.”

Lisa perked up at that, eager to hear any criticism. She wanted to make sure she had the best chance of clearing Tecate of all charges, after all. “What is it?” she asked.

Hardy’s expression suddenly turned far more serious, almost as if he was glaring at Lisa. She recoiled back, now not as eager to hear his advice.

“Whatever you do, do not take another case.” Hardy said in a stern tone.

Lisa raised an eyebrow at that. Of course, she hadn’t been planning to take another case after this one. In fact, she wanted to stay as far away from the courtroom as possible, and just focus on her schoolwork. But coming from him, it almost made her want to raise an objection. Why would Clyde Hardy, someone she’d only met once, tell her to stop carrying on with her mother’s work?

_Is this guy still annoyed that I beat him first try?_

“It’s a dangerous place, the world of law. Especially in these dark times,” Hardy gave his reasoning before Lisa had the chance to ask for it. “There will be people who are very displeased with your actions, and we wouldn’t want any scary lawyers pulling you into anything you don’t want to be involved in, now would we?”

He seemed to switch his way of words very quickly: one minute it sounded as if he were improving his word choices with a thesaurus, the next he was talking to Lisa like she was a young child (which, technically, she was, but she was only two years away from adulthood). It confused her; she didn’t know if he loathed her or if he was genuinely looking out for her.

“I don’t plan on it,” Lisa replied, standing up out of her seat. “But if the court needs me to defend, then so be it,” her arms were folded now, a strange surge of certainty and boldness coming over her. She couldn’t and wouldn’t let Hardy’s words get to her. Not when she had a job to focus on.

“Miss Tuppence, the defendant and police have returned. The trial will resume shortly. Prosecutor Hardy, please make your way back to the gallery,” the bailiff called out.  
Lisa didn’t turn away from Hardy. “I’m on my way,” she replied, a side of her lips curving upwards. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a trial to win,” she said to Hardy, who stepped back.  
“Very well. I shall be watching from the gallery,” Hardy said, before swiftly turning to walk out.

_Hm... weird. What is his problem?_

_Whatever. I have other things to worry about now._

The confidence Lisa felt earlier was short-lived.

_I really hope they found Mr Tecate’s knife in there. If not, I have no case..._

— — — — —

**May 17, 10:50 AM  
District Court  
Courtroom No. 2**

Before Lisa even had the chance to question Tecate about his findings, the judge banged his gavel to signify the resuming of the trial.

“Court is back in session,” the judge announced. “Now, before we proceed I’m sure we all want to address the elephant in the room: the truth of the murder weapon.” He turned to a nervous-looking Tecate, whose expression only brought Lisa more dread of what was to come. “Defendant, if you would please tell us the results of your search.”

Lisa crossed her fingers by her sides, hoping for the best yet expecting the worst.

Tecate sighed, giving Lisa an apologetic look before answering. The next sentence he spoke felt like a punch right to the gut. “...We did not find my pocket knife, Your Honour.”

Lisa’s eyes widened, her hands being pulled to her mouth as if by magnetic force. “W-WHAT?!”

While her shout would probably seem overdramatic, for the teen is was more than necessary. Just when she thought she had a lead... she’d failed. 

Chatter from the gallery filled the silence in the courtroom, as Lisa desperately racked her brain for some other way to object to Detective Habittle’s testimony. Tecate was innocent, and she _knew_ it. She couldn’t give up on the man who’d helped her for this long.

Lisa noticed the different faces in the room. Prosecutor Payne was smirking at her, making her more uncomfortable than she’d felt at all that day. Habittle was nowhere in sight, but she was sure that if he were on the stand, he’d be laughing. Some of the gallery look shocked, while some didn’t seem so surprised. Prosecutor Hardy’s apathetic stare caught her eye, and she clenched her fists. 

The judge banged his gavel three times to silence the gallery. “Order, order, order!” He sounded angry now.

_I can’t believe it..._

_But if it really is his, and he didn’t commit the murder, someone must’ve stolen it..._

**Pocket Knife updated in the Court Record.**

“So then, the murder weapon really did belong to the defendant, am I correct, Prosecutor Payne?” the judge asked Payne, to which the man nodded his head in confidence.  
“Yes indeed, Your Honour. There’s no doubt about it,” Payne replied. “It seems Miss Two-Pence’s logic is out of proportion.”

Lisa was really, _really_ doubting herself now. She knew from her mother that no lawyer could win all their cases, but she had to win at least this one. She would never forgive herself if she didn’t. These thoughts only struck her with the urge to act; she’d come so far and couldn’t give in now.

The judge nodded his head. “Well then, I believe this ends the cross-examinatio-“

**”OBJECTION!”**

Lisa slammed her hands on the table once more. They were beginning to hurt now, but in all the trials she’d watched, she’d never witnessed one that wasn’t a single one where hands or arms didn’t come crashing down onto the poor desks. “Wait a second, please! I’m not done yet!”

“What is there left to discuss, Two-Pence?” the prosecutor questioned, the smirk still plastered on his pale features. “Your attempts to prove Mr Tecate innocent have only put more suspicion on him. You might as well give up now.”  
Lisa shook her head. “Not yet. Something doesn’t sit quite right with me regarding the detective’s testimony. I have to be allowed to hear it just one more time!”  
“But surely hearing it again won’t change anything...” the judge seemed lost.  
Lisa sighed, he had a point. Maybe this really was pointless, after all...

“Lisa, wait,” Tecate whispered to her.  
Lisa turned to look at him, confused. Was he going to confess to the crime? “Hm?”  
“Do you happen to have your **magnifying glass** that I gave you on you?” he asked her. 

A lightbulb switched on in Lisa’s mind then.

_Yes... my magnifying glass! I can use that while Habittle testifies again! I’ve let mom use it in court multiple times ever since Mr Tecate gave it to me... that could help me find any more contradictions!_

Lisa looked back up at the judge, taking her magnifying glass out of her pocket. “Your Honour! I request to use my magnifying glass while hearing Detective Habittle’s testimony!”  
The judge nodded, while they both heard a groan coming from Payne. “Your magnifying glass...? Hm... very well then, if there are no objections from the prosecution?” he seemed to take note of Payne’s annoyance.

Payne sighed. “No objections, Your Honour... she’ll find a way to sneak another testimony in one way or another...”

_Great, I’m back on track!_

The judge nodded his head. “Very well then. I call Detective Isaac Habittle back to the stand!”

— — — — —

Detective Habittle stood back at the witness stand tall and proud, as if he hadn’t lost his composure earlier on. Lisa couldn’t help but glare at him; she knew he was hiding something.

“What am I needed for, Your Honour?” he asked the judge, playing the innocent and smug cards.

Lisa stepped away from the bench and walked slightly closer to the detective. “Detective Habittle, I would like you to repeat your testimony one more time,” she explained, bringing her magnifying class up on display for the courtroom to see. “There is one more thing I want to try in order to get the information needed to find the truth.”  
Habittle raised an eyebrow, seeming confused by her statement. “A magnifying glass? What’s that going to do?” he scoffed. “I doubt taking a closer look at me will give you any extra information.”

Lisa shook her head. “I’ll have you know that my mother used this multiple times to help her with cases.”

**”OBJECTION!”**

Lisa jumped a bit at the sudden yelp, turning around to see who it came from: Winston Payne.

“That’s absurd!” he shouted, his confusion no secret. “How is looking at the witness going to solve anything?!”

_Come to think of it, I don’t actually know why this magnifying glass is so good at doing what it does..._

“Your Honour, I believe the defense may be trying to buy time! Stop the cross-examination at once!” Payne commanded.

The judge simply shook his head. “Prosecutor Payne, please stop shouting at the defense. She is but a mere child and is trying her best to find the truth, just like you are.”

Lisa sighed at the extra mention of her age, yet again.

Payne winced in defeat, not saying another word.

_Now, I just need to remember how to do this right..._

_So first, I listen to the testimony and stop the witness at a point where I believe the contradiction lies. Then, I scan through the evidence with my magnifying glass to find any details that you may not see at first glance._

_I hope I find something, or my dignity may be lost forever..._

— — — — —

**Magnification**

**\-- The Scene of the Crime --**

“I was walking to work that morning, when at around 6:30 AM I came across Ms Kendrik’s body.  
I immediately notified the police, and before they arrived I did some investigating of the scene.  
There were no other people that seemed to be there at the time I found the body, and even if there were the path was covered by trees which would probably block out any view.  
I found a knife that was pierced into the victim’s back, and when we took it away to examine it we found fingerprints that matched Detective Tecate’s.  
If there is no other suitable evidence, then unfortunately the only conclusion we can come up with is that Tecate did it, as much as I hate to admit it.”

**”HOLD IT!”**

“That’ll be all, Detective,” Lisa stated, walking over to the table with all the evidence placed on it. “If you could all bear with me for a moment while I take a closer look at the evidence.”

_Right, time to find some other evidence... I guess I should try looking in the photograph of the crime scene that Habittle took to see if there are any strange details..._

The feeling of everyone’s eyes pierced on her was unsettling, to say the least. Almost as unsettling as taking a close look at a dead body. Lisa tried her best to ignore it as she scanned the photograph.

Her eyes landed on something strange: a white material sticking out of the pocket on the victim’s trousers. By the look of it, it seemed to be a sheet of paper, evidenced by its sharp corner. She couldn’t get a very close look at it, but it was sticking out like a sore thumb.

**”I SEE!”**

— — — — —

“Your Honour, there is a detail in this photo that we seemed to have missed!” Lisa announced, holding the photograph up.

“Really? What is it?” the judge asked, while the gallery seemed to all lean in and hold their breath in suspense.

“If you look closely,” Lisa began, “you can see a sheet of paper sticking out of the victim’s pocket.”

**”OBJECTION!”**

This time, the objection came from Habittle, whose eyes were widened and arms grabbing onto the stand. “W-what piece of paper?! I’ll have you know I took that photo, so I would’ve picked up on such a thing!”

Lisa’s confidence was beginning to grow again, and this time she didn’t even consider it coming crashing down again.

“It’s easy to miss such details, detective,” was her response.

**”OBJECTION!”**

Now Payne was yelling again.

_Have trials always been this loud?_

“I- uh...” the prosecutor rummaged through his files of the case, before taking out a piece of paper. “I found this letter in the case files when I was first given them,” he held it up for everyone to see.

_Seriously?! Is that really the piece of paper in the photo? Did I fail... again...?_

“Prosecutor Payne, were there any notes regarding the origins of this letter?” the judge questioned.  
Payne shook his head. “None, Your Honour. It was just... there.”

_That’s weird... could it really be the same letter I see in the picture?_

“Would you like me to read the contents of the letter?” Payne asked, adjusting his glasses so they were perfectly fit on his eyes.  
The judge nodded. “If you please.”

Payne turned the letter so the words were facing him, and began:

“Detective,

I have a task for you regarding Dawn Kendrik. She is working to get a promotion to division three of the criminal affairs department. I know you are looking for that promotion too, and I would advise you to make sure you get it before she does. I’ll explain my reasoning later.

You should know who this is from.”

There was a moment of silence when Payne finished reading, probably from confusion regarding the contents of the letter.

“...I assumed this letter was addressed to the defendant, and so I was going to bring it up when we discussed the motive,” Payne was the first to speak after a few seconds.

_But then if the letter was addressed to ‘Detective’, and mentioned Ms Kendrik in it, why would she have had it on her when she was murdered?_

**Letter added to the Court Record.**

Habittle had started to fiddle with his white gloves again, visibly agitated by this new discovery. Lisa decided to take advantage of this, smiling to herself before turning back to the judge.

“Your Honour, just to be certain, I ask that the victim’s clothing be searched,” the blonde requested. “There may have been more than one letter involved in this case.”

The bald man nodded is response, lifting his gavel. “Very well. In that case, I will adjourn co-“

**“HOLD IT!”**

The judge almost dropped his gavel in surprise at Lisa’s sudden interrupted.  
“I don’t believe adjourning court will be necessary. There is something else I would like to discuss.”

Her fake confident persona seemed to be paying off. She could only hope she was going in the right direction.

“Oh?” the judge asked, “What is it?”  
He quickly gestured to the bailiff, who exited the room.

“I would once again like to discuss the murder weapon again,” she started. “We know it belongs to the defendant, no doubt of that.”  
Payne raised an eyebrow. “We established that earlier on. Why are you bringing this up again?” 

Lisa turned back to Habittle, who was fiddling with his gloves again; she figured she could use this nervous habit to her advantage.  
“Detective, do you always wear those gloves on you at work?” she asked him.  
The anxiety-stricken detective stepped back a bit. “U-uh... yes...?” his stuttering eventually became a coherent answer.

_If he always wears his gloves... and the only fingerprints on the weapon were Mr Tecate’s... that means...!_

“Hm, it’s funny, that,” Lisa thought for a moment, making sure she had her train of thoughts going in the right order. “Recall how the only fingerprints on the murder weapon were Mr Tecate’s. Let’s say, hypothetically, he didn’t commit the murder,” she glanced at her client, before turning back to the witness. “How would you explain the lack of fingerprints then?”

“The killer would have to have been wearing gloves... oh!” Tecate muttered, realising the possible truth of this case.

Lisa nodded towards him. “Exactly. And as Mr Habittle said, he always wears gloves when at work.” She extended her left hand to point at her new suspect. “Detective Isaac Habittle! I accuse you of the murder of Dawn Kendrik!”

**”OBJECTION!”**

Before anyone had a chance to react, Payne cried out in protest. “Nonsense! You have no proof that he was at the crime scene at the time of the murder!”

Lisa decided then that she wanted to join in with the yelling; it seemed to be the way to get a point across in this court. While Payne was right in stating she had no other evidence, she could always double check. There was no time to pause now; she had to act on impulse.

**”OBJECTION!”**

“I do have evidence, prosecutor Payne!”

“What is your evidence, defense?” the judge asked her, eager to know.

Lisa paused. She had to think on her feet now, and fast.

She thought back to Habittle’s testimony, and what he had said regarding his whearabouts.

_He said he found the body at 6:30... when was the estimated time of death?_

Lisa walked back over to the table to find the autopsy report, searching for the time of death. She eventually found it: 6:20.

**”TAKE THAT!”**

“The time of death was 6:20, and Mr Habittle said he arrived at the crime scene at 6:30! These two events seem very close together, don’t you think?”

Payne scoffed and shook his head. “The killer could easily have run away by then,” he reminded her, to which the judge nodded in agreement.  
Lisa groaned, starting to accept her defeat and walking back to the defense’s bench.

“Don’t stop now, Lisa!” Tecate said to her. “You’re so close, you just need one final push!”  
Lisa shrugged. “But what could my ‘final push’ be?”  
Tecate stopped to think, before looking back at her. “Remember what Payne said earlier? About how Ms Kendrik was going to work early?” he reminded Lisa.  
She nodded, slightly confused about where her client was going with this. “Uh, yeah...? What about it?”  
“I know that to get to work on time, I don’t usually have to leave until 7:00 AM. Habittle lives fairly close to me, so I often see him on my way there.”

Lisa listened carefully, taking this new information in. 

_So if Habittle supposedly usually leaves at around 7:00, and he found the body half an hour before, then... that means...!_

“...ah!” she sounded when she understood. 

“Prosecutor Payne!” she addressed her opponent. “You say the victim left for work early that day, correct?” she asked to make sure she had her facts straight.  
Payne nodded his head. “That is correct,” he replied, seeming pleased with himself.

Lisa then turned to the witness-turned-suspect. “Detective, did YOU have any reason to get to work early that day?” she asked.  
Habittle straightened his posture slightly, though his nerves were still evident. “W-why yes I did! Uh...” he thought for a moment before speaking again. “I was going to speak to Ms Kendrik to congratulate her on her promotion!”

He didn’t realise the hole he had dug for himself just then.

“Oh really? And how did you know she’d be getting there early?” Lisa questioned, realising his lies now.

Habittle didn’t have an answer for that. His posture became hunched over again as he tugged at the fabric on his gloves. “I...I...”

Lisa then turned to the judge, confident she had the answer now. “Is that sufficient evidence, Your Honour?”  
The judge seemed shocked at her new discovery, before quickly regaining his composure. “It’s certainly a possibility, however I believe your theory is lacking an important section.”

Lisa was taken aback by that. What had she missed? “...What is it?”

“The witness has no motive for murder,” the judge stated. “Without a motive, then I'm afraid we have no choice but to believe in his innocence. Also, none of your evidence is 'decisive' enough," he continued, making the attorney almost regret ever bringing up the possibility of Habittle being a suspect.

“W-well, let me think...” Lisa started to think again, trying to find a motive amongst the other items of evidence relevant to this case.

Just as she thought she had lost hope, the bailiff burst through the door, one of them holding another piece of paper in his hands. The entire courtroom drew their attention to them in surprise.  
“Your Honour! We found the paper Miss Tuppence was talking about earlier!” 

Lisa breathed a huge sigh of relief, thanking her lucky stars that her magnifying glass had once again not failed her.

The judge seemed just as surprised as the attorney, defendant, prosecutor and detective as the bailiff brought the evidence to Lisa. "Well, what does it say?" he asked, trying to look down at it although due to the distance between him and Lisa he couldn't make out a single letter.  
Lisa opened up the crumpled note, beginning to read it. Her eyes widened at what it said:

"Hello, Dawn,

I want to congratulate you on your promotion to division three. It must be incredible having the chance to work internationally. Part of me wishes that I would get that opportunity, but I know you've worked hard for this and deserve it.

If you don't mind, I'd like to speak with you about your new job. I'd appreciate it if you would meet me in Witherford Park at approximately 6:20 AM.

See you soon,

Isaac."

_So... he planned this whole thing out, huh? Just as I expected..._

Lisa looked back up at the judge, who seemed as shocked as the man who’d written the letter. “Your Honour, this proves that the witness was already planning to go to the crime scene to meet the victim! Surely this means that he was the last to see her before her death!” she explained.

**”OBJECTION!”**

Habittle cried out again, grasping his gloves with such force that they looked like they could rip at any moment. “N-no! I DIDN’T WRITE THAT! I SWEAR!” he yelped.

Lisa rolled her eyes. “As I was saying, this is proof that you were at the crime scene before you ‘discovered’ the body that day,” she continued, scanning her brown eyes over the letter again before realising something. “...And it also gives us a clear motive!”

_Great, just the thing I’ve been looking for! I’ll have to thank the bailiff later..._

The gallery burst out in conversation again, and the judge seemed to space out in shock for a few seconds before remembering his position and slamming his gavel on the table. “Order! Order in court!” he yelled, and the gallery took a few moments before returning to silence. The hundreds of eyes were all pierced on the young attorney who had just turned the case at hand on its head; they watched in awe at the sight. Lisa shivered a little from the feeling, fiddling with her hands again. Sure, she was confident that she was about to prove Tecate innocent, but everyone watching her made her feel as if the moment she slipped up, everyone would turn their backs on her like they’d done to her mother.

_That’s why I need to keep moving forward... to save her reputation!_

“This is madness!” Payne yelled. “Surely you can’t believe this child’s claims, she barely has any knowledge of the law!” 

_Uhh... Payne? Have you forgotten that I’ve been co-counsel to mom multiple times? I’m pretty sure I have a fair grasp of how things work around here..._

“Well then, Prosecutor Payne, why don’t you prove me wrong?” Lisa stopped wringing her wrists in order to appear more sure of herself. “...With evidence, of course.”

_It may be kind of annoying with how ‘evidence is everything’ in court, but at least I can use that to my advantage here!_

“G-GAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!” Payne cried out, stepping back. His hair seemed to stick up on end, as if by static electricity. Lisa gave a small laugh at that, happy to see her opponent’s reaction.

Lisa slammed her hands onto the table one more time, ready to give her final conclusion. “Admit it, Detective Habittle! You were told to get the promotion that Ms Kendrik had for yourself, so you asked her to meet you on the way to work, only to pull out the knife that you stole from Mr Tecate and literally stab her in the back! Isn’t that right?”

The judge banged his gavel, turning both the defense and prosecution’s attention to him. “Well, Detective? What do you have to say for yourself?” he asked, clearly wanting a decent reasoning for everything Habittle had done. Lisa turned and stared the true culprit dead in the eyes, knowing that no matter his explanation, she’d never forgive him for framing Tecate. She prayed that Habittle wouldn’t ask to testify again about the letters; she’d already had enough of this.

Fortunately for her, no such request came from Habittle. Instead, he gritted his teeth and glared right back at her. Lisa fiddled with her hair and stepped back next to Tecate behind the defense’s bench, worried that Habittle would start sprinting towards her at any moment. 

“This... wasn’t supposed to happen...” the black-haired detective grunted. 

_Huh? What does he mean by that...?_

“I was... meant to be innocent...”

He wasn’t making any sense, at least not as far as Lisa could understand.

“I...I... AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!” Habittle started tearing his white gloves to shreds, discarding the pieces across the courtroom. One piece landed in Payne’s face, which would’ve been amusing to Lisa if she’d have been paying attention to the prosecutor at the time. She was instead fixed on the breakdown of the true killer, whose bare hands were now pulling at his gelled hair. She could have sworn he had torn some out.

— — — — —

The next few moments were almost a blur; Habittle was dragged out by the bailiff, while Payne repeatedly slammed his desk in frustration, and Tecate congratulated and thanked Lisa for proving his innocence. Lisa felt nothing but relief. She’d done it. She’d saved her idol.

_Maybe... maybe I really am worthy of this badge..._

_No... I can’t think that. Sure, I did well, but I can’t do this again. I need to focus on school, and everything else..._

“Well, that was certainly a turn of events...” the judge was the first to speak up after Habittle was gone from the courtroom. He turned to look down at Lisa. “I have to say, Miss Tuppence, I am well and truly impressed with your performance, despite your age and inexperience.”

_Age and inexperience this, age and inexperience that... can we move on already?_

Lisa simply gave the judge a small smile. “Thank you, Your Honour. I was just doing my job.”

“...There is one thing that still seems strange to me...” Tecate said, rubbing his chin with his thumb and index finger. “Who was it that told Habittle to get that promotion?”

_Oh yeah, I almost forgot about that letter..._

The judge nodded. “Ah, you’re quite right, defendant. I’ll admit that I was concerned about that, too,” he replied. “I’ll make sure that Mr Habittle is taken in for questioning.”

_Looks like there is still some mystery to solve about this case..._

“Now then,” he continued, “if the defendant would please take the stand.”

Tecate walked to the witness stand, standing tall and proud now that his reputation was rebuilt and his charges were soon to be cleared. Lisa was very pleased with his reaction, ecstatic that she’d brought the light back to his life. He was free.

“And with that,” the judge lifted his gavel, “I shall hereby hand down the verdict for Arthur Tecate: **NOT GUILTY!** “ he banged it against the table.

The gallery cheered in response to this. Well, most of the gallery. Out of the corner of her eye, Lisa saw Hardy still staring with a blank face, taking out a book from his large brown bag. He opened it and began to read in silence. For the short amount of time that Lisa had known him, he always seemed to be absorbed in a book. She wondered whether it was fictional, or perhaps notes related to his cases.

Whatever. He wasn’t relevant now. Tecate was safe, and he could go back to his regular life as a detective. Lisa couldn’t be more happy with the result.

“Court is adjourned!” the judge’s gavel made one final collision with the table, and the trial was officially over.

— — — — —

**May 17, 11:30 PM  
District Court  
Defendant Lobby No. 2**

Lisa was relieved to be out of the courtroom, immediately taking a seat in the defendant lobby.

_It’s over... I won... I did it...! I actually did it!_

“Congratulations, Lisa!” the voice of Tecate startled her a little, and she looked up at him. “I couldn’t have asked for a better defense,” he flashed her a grin, to which she giggled.  
“I’m just glad I was able to save you, Mr Tecate,” she simply stated, before her mind wandered to the deja vu of it all. She’d been here before, only a few months ago. “This... this definitely wasn’t as hard as my first case...”

Tecate gave a solem nod. “Ah, yes... I don’t think that was a very ideal first case for you...” his tone dropped low, almost like a whisper.

_I don’t think any case would be ideal for me, considering the fact that I don’t even want to go into law..._

“Hey, you’re going back to school in a few days, right?” the detective asked, trying to change the subject; he knew the past few months had been painful for Lisa.  
The blonde girl nodded. “Yeah... luckily for me, I’ve just missed exam week, haha...” she tried to bring a bit of light to the situation, doing her best to block out the dark memories of the reason she had left for two months.

“Well... I suppose we should leave now, unless you have anything else to do?” Tecate broke the short silence.  
Lisa shook her head, standing up out of her chair. “No, let’s leave,” she replied, wanting to get out of the court as soon as possible.

The two made their way out, walking to Tecate’s car. Lisa had been staying at his house ever since her mother had died, and was staying there for the inevitable future.

_My first case... It was horrific. I’m just glad I have Mr Tecate on my side, or who knows what would be happening now?_

_Mom... I miss you..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sry this trial was so short, i didn’t have many ideas and it was only meant to be an introduction sooo- yeah. the next case will be pretty intense so be prepared haha. 
> 
> also quick note, i changed the victim’s name from norma to dawn, i think i’ve gone through and edited this to fix that but if u see anywhere that still says norma pls lmk!
> 
> case 2 may take a while because i'm still planning out the details, and i wanna start working on a separate AA fic, plus i have my GCSE mocks soon. i'll do my best, though!¬
> 
> tysm for reading! kudos and comments are appreciated!

**Author's Note:**

> tysm for reading! kudos and comments are appreciated!


End file.
